‘Family Secrets’ is filled with shocking stories of people whose lives were turned upside-down by their relative’s lies
“Family Secrets” explores astonishing family secrets and the lessons people learned from them. Author Dani Shapiro, who wrote her memoir Inheritance about her own family’s secrets, hosts this podcast about people who have also discovered unknown truths about their relatives. From secrets kept from us, secrets we keep from others, and the secrets we keep from ourselves, this podcast has all of the above.
“Family Secrets” has been going strong since the end of 2018. The iHeartPodcasts series now has an archive of six seasons over 130 episodes, with each episode averaging just 35 minutes long.
In her memoir, Dani writes that a whimsical submission of her DNA to a genealogy website delivered the stunning news that her father was not her biological father. She felt as though her entire family history crumbled to dust in that instant. For 50 years, her parents had kept this a secret, and in Inheritance, she writes about her quest for identity, the scientific and technological advancements outing long-kept family secrets, and keeping those secrets in the name of love.
While many of these stories began terrifying and even traumatic, the discoveries these people made helped liberate and heal them from whatever was concealed in their past. Hear stories from people who thought they were adopted, only to find out that they weren’t who they thought they were. Hear stories like Margaret Kimball’s, a woman who pieced together a narrative of her family’s fractures through diary entries, hospital records, and home videos. There are stories like Liz Scheier’s, whose mother’s lies still has her piecing together decades of her life.
On this podcast, people share the stories of secrets that broke their hearts and opened their eyes. This podcast explores all of the joys and pains of humanity. From discovering their true ancestry to tracking down biological parents, to discovering an entirely secret life played out by their parents, every story in “Family Secrets” is unique, interesting, and devastatingly good.
Fans of storytelling podcasts like “Family Ghosts” and “The Moth” are bound to enjoy this iHeartPodcasts production. And people interested in the ethical debate around DNA testing and genealogy websites like 23andMe are sure to love Podsauce’s interview with the host of “Biohacked: Family Secrets,” T.J. Raphael.
“Family Secrets” is not only about uncovering shocking family mysteries, but learning from them. Whether these lies were a product of love or a product of fear or malice, we must live with them. Not every story is the same, but each story is bound in empathy and compassion. If you are on the hunt for your next podcast to devour, be sure to check out “Family Secrets.”
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